The State of the Art

July 10, 2015

&nbsp
2 m, 8 s

A Stagnant Science?

The other day we saw an interesting tweet regarding the upcoming Sentiment Analysis Symposium: “will be attending and hopefully I will be wrong…but I can’t imagine a ton of new tech in [sentiment analysis.]” And, on the surface, it might appear to be stagnating. But, the reality is that sentiment analysis is as cool as ever and far from stagnant. Much like a duck in a pond, what is readily apparent seems completely calm and static. However, just beneath the surface the feet are paddling vigorously. As Doug Henschen points out in his great article on the subject, sentiment analysis is being used as a viable tool in myriad new industries. Whether it’s predicting future price movements, preparing for and avoiding warranty liabilities, or using anonymized healthcare records to improve practices and process efficiency, sentiment analysis is expanding and maturing in dramatic and exciting ways.

A Changing World

Examples of pioneering uses for sentiment analysis are plentiful. “An exec from manufacturer Lenovo will present on ‘How to Detect Pervasive Issues Early Through Voice-of-the-Customer Analytics’” says Henschen. “Later on there’ll be a presentation from the healthcare industry called ‘Voice of the Patient: Deriving Insights from Patient Satisfaction Surveys.’ These novel avenues are the backdrops to innovative and state of the art applications of this technology. Far from hackneyed, sentiment analysis is rooting into a wide array of industries in meaningful and diverse ways.

Context

What lay in the near future for sentiment analysis is a page out of science fiction. The machine must get smarter as application becomes ever more diverse. To do this, engines are being taught context. Knowing to differentiate between your Japanese and British clientele will allow an analysis to take into consideration the cultural tone, humor and subtext in reviews. Or, consider a Four Season guest’s enjoyment of a mattress, “hard bed” and “soft bed” are both almost always negatives in the hospitality industry, whereas “perfect mattress” or “comfortable mattress” is what hotel chains like to hear in reports from vendors such as Sprinklr,” continues Henschen. And knowing the difference between a “sick” video game (positive) and a “sick” patient (negative) is vital.

And these are all only tips on an iceberg that will be charted and studied at the Symposium. It’ll be a no-holds-barred two-day extravaganza of intense awesomeness at best. At worst, it’ll be one of the most interesting conferences you’ll ever go to. So check it out, and enter code LEXALYTICS at checkout for a rad discount when you register.